Director of Major Gifts

For more than 50 years, Children’s Council has been the heart of childcare and early education in San Francisco, advancing the belief that high-quality childcare can transform lives and communities. Our more than 150 team members help families navigate their childcare and preschool options and secure financial assistance to pay for it. We provide home-based childcare businesses with the training and resources to succeed. Through a wide range of free programs and workshops, we support parents and caregivers as they build child development skills. As the city’s second-largest nonprofit contractor, with an annual budget of over $240 million, we are a major stakeholder in the childcare system. We educate the public and advocate for increased investment in early education at the local and state level. If you are a childcare champion, we want you on our team.

Job Title: Director of Major Gifts
Department: Advancement
Reports To: Chief Philanthropy Officer
FLSA Status: Full-time (40.0 hours per week), Exempt
Salary: $127,000–$145,000 annually

POSITION OVERVIEW

Reporting to the Chief Philanthropy Officer, the Director of Major Gifts will build and manage a growing pipeline of major individual donors and new foundation funders, serving as a strategic partner to the CPO in identifying, cultivating, and securing five- and six-figure philanthropic investments in Children's Council. This is a foundational, high-impact role on a growing Philanthropy team. The successful candidate will operate as a strategic partner, generalist, and builder in the near term, with the expectation that the role will specialize further as the team and portfolio grow.  This role focuses on the discretionary, relationship-driven side of fundraising, cultivating and securing major gifts, whether from individuals or foundations. 

The Director will have responsibility for the full pipeline of existing and new individual donors and will focus on establishing relationships with new foundation partners. Once we find alignment and are invited to apply for foundation funding, the application and reporting process is managed by other team members. 

This role does not currently have direct reports. As the Philanthropy team grows, it is anticipated that a role will report to this position. 

KEY QUALITIES

• A relationship builder who thrives on identifying, mapping, and cultivating new networks 
• A strategic thinker who can align Children's Council's funding priorities with individual donor and foundation interests 
• Comfortable operating as a generalist in a growing team, with the flexibility to push forward fundraising strategies across multiple channels in service of building something new 
• A confident, natural collaborator with the CEO, Board, and current donors, able to activate their networks and build trusted relationships 
• Energized by the opportunity to raise the profile of Children’s Council within philanthropic circles 

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES:

Major Gifts & Individual Giving

• Develop, qualify, and personally manage a growing portfolio of major gift donors and prospects across both individual and foundation relationships 
• Personally (and in partnership with staff and board leaders) cultivate, solicit, and steward donors capable of five- and six-figure gifts 
• Partner with the CPO to build and execute a moves management strategy for the organization's top prospects, including those in the CPO's own portfolio 
• Identify and pursue opportunities to deepen relationships with existing donors who have capacity to grow 

New Foundation & Funder Cultivation

• Identify and cultivate relationships with new foundation funders and prospects, with particular attention to funders whose engagement style mirrors individual major gift cultivation 
• Partner with the Grants and Contracts Manager on new funder strategy: this role focuses on relationship-building and positioning, while the Grants and Contracts Manager owns proposal writing, compliance, and reporting for both existing and new funders 
• Support the Grants and Contracts Manager with strategic context and relationship insight for proposals and reports to newly cultivated funders 

Networked Relationship Development

• Systematically map the networks of the CEO, Board of Trsutees, and current major donors to identify new prospects 
• Develop strategies and materials that equip the CEO and Board to make warm introductions and connections on behalf of Children's Council 
• Represent Children's Council externally to build the organization's visibility among San Francisco philanthropists and expand its network 

Strategic Event Engagement

• Serve as an active, engaged member of the volunteer committee for the organization's signature donor event, contributing strategy and relationship insight 
• Personally cultivate and solicit prospects for high-level event participation and sponsorship within own portfolio 
• Partner with the CPO on event guest strategy and cultivation 

Strategic Planning & Thought Partnership

• Serve as a thought partner to the CPO on fundraising strategy, prioritization, and resource allocation 
• Contribute to the development and bi-annual updates of the organization's fundraising plan 
• Bring data-informed recommendations on portfolio and pipeline health and prospect strategy 
• Take on a range of additional strategic and operational responsibilities as the team builds out, with the expectation that this role's scope will narrow and specialize as the team grows 

Data & Systems

• Track all prospect and donor activity, moves management, and portfolio progress in Salesforce 
• Maintain accurate, timely records to support reporting to the CPO and Board leadership 

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Minimum 6-8 years of progressive fundraising experience, with a demonstrated track record of personally securing five- and six-figure gifts 
• Experience cultivating and soliciting both individual and foundation/institutional funders 
• Demonstrated success building new relationships and pipeline from scratch, not solely managing an existing portfolio 
• Experience working directly with C-suite executives and/or a nonprofit Board of Directors to cultivate and secure gifts 
• Excellent relationship-mapping and networking instincts; comfortable independently identifying and pursuing warm paths to new prospects 
• Strong strategic thinking skills, with the ability to align organizational funding priorities with donor and funder interests 
• Outstanding written and verbal communication skills; comfortable with direct, high-stakes donor conversations, including discussions of personal or family philanthropy 
• Proficiency with donor CRM systems (Salesforce preferred) 
• Comfort operating as a generalist and builder in a growing, evolving team 

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Existing relationships within the San Francisco philanthropic and business community 
• Experience in early childhood education, family services, or a related field 
• Experience partnering with grants or institutional giving staff on foundation strategy 
• Experience serving on or staffing volunteer fundraising event committees 

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

• Mental acuity to perform the essential functions of this position in an accurate and timely fashion 
• Dexterity to use office equipment; the ability to sit and work at a desk for extended periods of time 
• Ability to speak, hear, and understand speech at normal room levels 
• Must be able to move throughout the office and community to meet with staff, donors, and external partners 

BACKGROUND CHECK
All offers of employment are contingent upon successfully completing this process.

Hybrid Work  

We have adopted a hybrid working model and currently require employees to be present in the office at least 3 days per week, with the option to work 2 days per week remotely. Applicants should be comfortable with both the remote and in office scenarios.   

Benefits, and Employee Perks

We offer a family-friendly workplace, plus competitive pay, and industry leading benefits package that includes:

Generous Medical coverage for staff, including paid medical plan deductibles, copays and out-of-pocket maximums.

Dental, Vision, Chiropractic & Acupuncture, Life, LTD and AD&D coverage.

Voluntary benefits that include Supplement Life, Accident, Critical Illness, and Pet Insurance.

401(k) retirement plan with a generous employer match.

Pre-tax Flexible Spending Accounts, Health Savings Account and Commuter Benefit programs.

Generous paid time off  package, including 14 paid holidays + a floating holiday for your Birthday.

Ongoing training and professional development for all staff.

Tuition Reimbursement.

Children's Council of SF is committed to building a staff that is rich with cultural, social and experiential diversity. Candidates who want to join us on this journey and who can uniquely contribute to that goal are encouraged to apply.

Equal Opportunity & Equity Statement 

Children’s Council is an equal opportunity employer that values diversity as central to our work serving the San Francisco community. We comply with all applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment. Our practices are in alignment with our commitment to workplace equity, diversity, and inclusion. We foster a work environment where our current and future staff feel welcomed without regard to race, color, religion, gender identity, national origin, sex, age, disability or sexual orientation.